Surgical Technologists: Job, Salary, and School Information from The Riley Guide

Job Numbers and Growth

Across the US there are 86,000 surgical technologists. This occupation has an unemployment level that is very low.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Employees may end up working less than full time; 21% of those in the career did so in 2008.

Training and Education

Finding jobs is easier for surgical technologists with a postsecondary vocational award. Recent government surveys (2008) show that 16% of workers have received at least a 4 year degree. Employees who attended college, but do not have a degree make up 57% of the total. A high school diploma was all the education obtained by 27% of surgical technologists. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which, if any, could help you with this career.

Area Job Conditions

The fewest jobs (per capita) are found in Edison (New Jersey), Des Moines (Iowa), and Tacoma (Washington), and the most jobs are found in Rochester (Minnesota), Owensboro (Kentucky), and Florence (South Carolina).

The earnings potential (not adjusted for cost of living) is highest in Bethesda (Maryland), Oakland (California), and Santa Rosa (California). However, the potential is lowest in Pascagoula (Mississippi), Mobile (Alabama), and Anniston (Alabama).

Career Overview Video About Surgical Technologists

Surgical Technologists: Job and Salary Data by Metropolitan Area

The table below shows data for Surgical Technologists, as of 2008. The Popularity in Area number tells you how common jobs for Surgical Technologists are in the area, compared to other US metro areas. A value of 1.0 means an average number of people in the position for area population. Lower numbers mean fewer of these positions in the metro area. The most popular areas for Surgical Technologists are starred .

State	Area	Positions	Typical Pay	Popularity in Area
Alabama	Anniston	50	$29,420	1.8
Alabama	Birmingham	470	$32,640	1.4
Alabama	Dothan	100	$33,540	2.9
Alabama	Huntsville	260	$37,890	2
Alabama	Mobile	170	$27,400	1.5
Alabama	Montgomery	250	$34,510	2.3
Alaska	Anchorage	50	$42,990	0.5
Arizona	Kingman	40	$34,590	1.4
Arizona	Phoenix	800	$40,880	0.6
Arizona	Tucson	250	$42,550	1
Arkansas	Fayetteville	130	$38,880	1
Arkansas	Fort Smith	100	$31,160	1.4
Arkansas	Jonesboro	40	$30,690	1.4
Arkansas	Little Rock	440	$33,880	2
California	Bakersfield	170	$39,070	1
California	Fresno	150	$50,380	0.7
California	Modesto	140	$47,480	1.4
California	Napa	50	$47,290	1.3
California	Oakland	580	$54,920	0.9
California	Oxnard	230	$41,470	1.2
California	Riverside	620	$42,200	0.7
California	Sacramento	550	$45,490	0.9
California	Salinas	50	$45,730	0.5
California	San Diego	800	$48,340	0.9
California	San Francisco	760	$52,450	1.1
California	San Jose	550	$53,210	0.9
California	San Luis Obispo	100	$40,800	1.6
California	Santa Ana	820	$46,770	0.8
California	Santa Barbara	130	$46,740	1.2
California	Santa Rosa	80	$51,510	0.7
California	Stockton	140	$47,940	1
California	Visalia	80	$44,080	1
Colorado	Boulder	110	$44,800	1.1
Colorado	Colorado Springs	130	$46,640	0.8
Colorado	Denver	940	$43,680	1.1
Colorado	Fort Collins	70	$41,040	0.9
Colorado	Pueblo	70	$41,460	2.3
Connecticut	Bridgeport	160	$46,780	0.6
Connecticut	Hartford	230	$48,380	0.6
Connecticut	New Haven	390	$40,610	2.2
Connecticut	Norwich	70	$43,570	0.9
Delaware	Wilmington	170	$41,920	0.8
District of Columbia	Washington	1,130	$44,930	0.7
Florida	Cape Coral	200	$38,790	1.5
Florida	Deltona	140	$42,140	1.4
Florida	Fort Lauderdale	540	$38,130	1.1
Florida	Gainesville	150	$37,250	2.1
Florida	Jacksonville	470	$35,900	1.2
Florida	Lakeland	110	$37,950	0.9
Florida	Miami	870	$37,140	1.3
Florida	Naples	80	$40,330	1.1
Florida	Ocala	80	$35,280	1.4
Florida	Orlando	560	$33,810	0.8
Florida	Palm Bay	170	$49,920	1.4
Florida	Panama City	140	$33,080	3.4
Florida	Pensacola	140	$34,740	1.5
Florida	Port St Lucie	50	$35,900	0.6
Florida	Sarasota	200	$36,480	1.2
Florida	Sebastian	60	$37,250	2.2
Florida	Tallahassee	120	$35,210	1.2
Florida	Tampa	770	$36,620	1
Florida	West Palm Beach	340	$36,570	1
Georgia	Albany	90	$32,430	2.5
Georgia	Athens	140	$33,150	3.1
Georgia	Atlanta	1,350	$38,090	0.9
Georgia	Augusta	180	$36,960	1.4
Georgia	Columbus	110	$32,390	1.6
Georgia	Dalton	50	$31,240	1.1
Georgia	Gainesville	50	$32,440	1.2
Georgia	Macon	180	$32,530	3
Georgia	Rome	70	$41,530	3.5
Georgia	Savannah	220	$32,390	2.3
Hawaii	Honolulu	220	$45,020	0.8
Idaho	Boise	290	$37,960	1.7
Illinois	Champaign	70	$43,550	1.2
Illinois	Chicago	2,050	$46,060	0.8
Illinois	Peoria	180	$38,280	1.7
Illinois	Rockford	100	$45,590	1
Indiana	Anderson	40	$37,080	1.8
Indiana	Bloomington	50	$35,300	1.2
Indiana	Evansville	260	$34,680	2.4
Indiana	Fort Wayne	180	$36,810	1.3
Indiana	Gary	250	$39,990	1.4
Indiana	Indianapolis	750	$40,910	1.3
Indiana	Kokomo	30	$33,350	1.5
Indiana	Lafayette	130	$37,800	2.9
Indiana	Michigan City	60	$38,210	2.5
Indiana	South Bend	90	$38,980	1.1
Indiana	Terre Haute	70	$38,850	1.7
Iowa	Davenport	70	$38,040	0.6
Iowa	Des Moines	90	$37,430	0.4
Iowa	Sioux City	100	$35,220	2.4
Kansas	Topeka	80	$36,310	1.2
Kansas	Wichita	290	$34,160	1.5
Kentucky	Bowling Green	100	$35,280	3
Kentucky	Lexington	320	$35,280	2.1
Kentucky	Louisville	630	$37,930	1.6
Kentucky	Owensboro	120	$31,230	4.4
Louisiana	Alexandria	60	$33,690	1.7
Louisiana	Baton Rouge	170	$39,170	0.7
Louisiana	Houma	50	$37,480	0.9
Louisiana	Lafayette	110	$35,170	1.2
Louisiana	Lake Charles	70	$35,820	1.3
Louisiana	Monroe	60	$33,800	1.3
Louisiana	New Orleans	450	$39,150	1.3
Louisiana	Shreveport	150	$29,880	1.3
Maine	Bangor	60	$36,530	1.6
Maine	Lewiston	50	$37,810	1.8
Maine	Portland	190	$39,940	1.5
Maryland	Baltimore	930	$46,130	1.1
Maryland	Bethesda	310	$55,260	0.8
Maryland	Cumberland	50	$38,010	2.5
Maryland	Hagerstown	90	$38,820	1.5
Maryland	Salisbury	50	$38,500	1.7
Massachusetts	Barnstable Town	90	$50,040	1.5
Massachusetts	Boston	1,290	$44,270	1.1
Massachusetts	Springfield	280	$40,080	1.4
Massachusetts	Worcester	160	$45,130	1
Michigan	Ann Arbor	110	$39,120	1.1
Michigan	Detroit	480	$42,730	1
Michigan	Flint	110	$40,530	1.3
Michigan	Grand Rapids	260	$43,010	1.1
Michigan	Holland	30	$43,010	0.5
Michigan	Kalamazoo	140	$35,750	1.6
Michigan	Muskegon	60	$39,900	1.7
Michigan	Warren	490	$41,270	0.6
Minnesota	Duluth	230	$42,280	2.9
Minnesota	Minneapolis	990	$46,300	0.8
Minnesota	Rochester	340		6
Minnesota	St Cloud	100	$44,100	1.6
Mississippi	Gulfport	170	$33,530	2.5
Mississippi	Hattiesburg	120	$30,650	3.6
Mississippi	Jackson	310	$35,580	1.9
Mississippi	Pascagoula	50	$29,900	1.9
Missouri	Columbia	90	$38,160	1.8
Missouri	Joplin	130	$29,360	2.7
Missouri	Kansas City	720	$40,680	1.1
Missouri	Springfield	300	$36,110	2.4
Missouri	St Louis	610	$38,410	0.7
Montana	Billings	40	$41,360	0.8
Montana	Missoula	90	$38,940	3
Nebraska	Omaha	370	$39,500	1.2
Nevada	Las Vegas	650	$46,530	1.1
Nevada	Reno	200	$45,440	1.5
New Hampshire	Manchester	50	$41,180	0.8
New Hampshire	Nashua	60	$41,880	0.7
New Jersey	Atlantic City	60	$46,040	0.6
New Jersey	Camden	180	$41,530	0.5
New Jersey	Edison	320	$41,570	0.5
New Jersey	Newark	430	$42,420	0.6
New Jersey	Trenton	70	$41,940	0.5
New Mexico	Albuquerque	250	$34,550	1
New York	Albany	210	$33,800	0.7
New York	Buffalo	240	$41,290	0.7
New York	Kingston	40	$34,170	1.2
New York	Nassau	860	$46,900	1
New York	New York	3,070	$45,180	0.9
New York	Poughkeepsie	80	$44,330	0.5
New York	Rochester	230	$32,450	0.7
New York	Syracuse	190	$40,080	0.9
North Carolina	Asheville	110	$36,270	1
North Carolina	Charlotte	670	$36,110	1.1
North Carolina	Durham	300	$38,100	1.7
North Carolina	Fayetteville	110	$40,870	1.5
North Carolina	Greensboro	270	$36,040	1.1
North Carolina	Greenville	140	$37,410	3.3
North Carolina	Hickory	110	$39,790	1.1
North Carolina	Raleigh	300	$40,140	0.9
North Carolina	Wilmington	80	$34,820	0.9
North Carolina	Winston Salem	170	$38,080	1.2
Ohio	Akron	290	$38,200	1.3
Ohio	Cincinnati	660	$37,190	1
Ohio	Cleveland	750	$36,730	1.1
Ohio	Columbus	550	$36,990	0.9
Ohio	Dayton	390	$40,760	1.5
Ohio	Lima	60	$33,240	2
Ohio	Springfield	40	$33,440	1.5
Ohio	Toledo	160	$40,620	0.8
Ohio	Youngstown	150	$37,900	1
Oklahoma	Lawton	70	$29,310	3.4
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City	660	$33,920	1.8
Oklahoma	Tulsa	420	$34,380	1.5
Oregon	Eugene	70	$45,490	0.7
Oregon	Medford	40	$42,620	0.8
Oregon	Portland	490	$45,870	0.7
Oregon	Salem	50	$41,120	0.5
Pennsylvania	Allentown	150	$38,500	0.7
Pennsylvania	Altoona	50	$38,820	1.4
Pennsylvania	Erie	80	$30,790	1
Pennsylvania	Harrisburg	220	$37,490	1.1
Pennsylvania	Lancaster	90	$40,900	0.6
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	840	$40,300	0.7
Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh	1,040	$34,060	1.4
Pennsylvania	Scranton	220	$34,450	1.3
Rhode Island	Providence	320	$43,930	0.9
South Carolina	Charleston	130	$32,570	0.7
South Carolina	Columbia	380	$36,350	1.7
South Carolina	Florence	210	$34,830	4.2
South Carolina	Greenville	300	$35,690	1.5
South Carolina	Myrtle Beach	60	$34,290	0.8
South Carolina	Spartanburg	130	$36,280	1.7
South Dakota	Sioux Falls	190	$37,020	2.2
Tennessee	Chattanooga	470	$37,440	3.1
Tennessee	Jackson	40	$39,160	1.2
Tennessee	Johnson City	110	$36,370	2.5
Tennessee	Kingsport	130	$35,090	1.8
Tennessee	Knoxville	460	$34,440	2.1
Tennessee	Memphis	830	$36,660	2
Tennessee	Nashville	1,280	$40,080	2.5
Texas	Abilene	50		1.4
Texas	Amarillo	100	$36,930	1.6
Texas	Austin	540	$40,120	1.1
Texas	Brownsville	100	$38,470	1.3
Texas	College Station	80	$35,260	1.7
Texas	Corpus Christi	150	$36,840	1.3
Texas	Dallas	1,390	$40,200	1
Texas	El Paso	150	$37,930	0.9
Texas	Fort Worth	820	$40,970	1.4
Texas	Houston	1,570	$43,040	0.9
Texas	Longview	50	$31,680	0.9
Texas	Lubbock	120	$35,140	1.6
Texas	Mcallen	180	$39,490	1.3
Texas	Odessa	100	$31,030	3.1
Texas	San Angelo	60	$42,510	2.6
Texas	San Antonio	740	$35,090	1.3
Texas	Sherman	70	$37,500	3.2
Texas	Tyler	140	$35,760	2.6
Texas	Wichita Falls	70	$31,230	2.1
Utah	Ogden	170	$33,700	1.3
Utah	Provo	150	$34,470	1.4
Utah	Salt Lake City	290	$38,930	0.7
Vermont	Burlington	40	$38,890	0.6
Virginia	Blacksburg	40	$35,570	1.1
Virginia	Charlottesville	100	$41,400	1.8
Virginia	Richmond	390	$41,980	1
Virginia	Virginia Beach	440	$38,830	0.9
Washington	Kennewick	60	$38,680	1.1
Washington	Seattle	670	$47,810	0.7
Washington	Spokane	260	$44,220	1.9
Washington	Tacoma	70	$46,130	0.4
West Virginia	Charleston	190	$31,300	2.1
West Virginia	Huntington	140	$31,470	2
West Virginia	Parkersburg	70	$30,450	1.7
West Virginia	Wheeling	40	$30,380	1.1
Wisconsin	Appleton	110	$42,430	1.6
Wisconsin	Eau Claire	100	$45,750	2.2
Wisconsin	Fond	30	$42,290	1.2
Wisconsin	Green Bay	240	$42,470	2.3
Wisconsin	Janesville	50	$39,310	1.3
Wisconsin	La Crosse	120		3
Wisconsin	Madison	280	$45,540	1.3
Wisconsin	Milwaukee	710	$45,210	1.3
Wisconsin	Oshkosh	90	$43,100	1.8
Wisconsin	Racine	80	$42,460	1.7
Wisconsin	Wausau	90	$41,090	2.3
Wyoming	Casper	40	$35,700	1.9

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Surgical Technologists